Being new to any career can be intimidating, especially in a field such as commercial real estate with all its intricacies. That’s why NAIOP Arizona created its Developing Leaders program for young professionals under 35 to connect these up-and-comers with one another and senior leaders within the industry.
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“One of the biggest risks a lot of professional associations face is keeping up with the changing times,” explains Suzanne Kinney, president and CEO of NAIOP Arizona. “Half of our new members are in the Developing Leaders category, meaning 35 and under. At the same time, we’re retaining senior level executives with decades of deep expertise, while also attracting younger professionals who see NAIOP as the preeminent organization to grow their careers and be successful.”
Learn more about the experiences of four of these Developing Leaders below.
Casey Koziol, associate, Colliers
After graduating from the University of Arizona in 2019, Koziol wanted to move back to his hometown — Phoenix — and get involved in the commercial real estate world. He ended up cold calling a handful of contacts he received from a family friend, and ended up connecting well with his current boss, starting at Colliers in the summer of 2019 working in research.
“I was only working there for a couple months before COVID hit, and we all had to work from home,” Koziol says. “In this industry, you need to meet a lot of people and pick their brains, and [the pandemic] eliminated my ability to do that. So, I was more focused on our research reports for industrial and office properties and got a good gist for what those entail.”
Once everyone started returning to the office, Koziol transitioned to a program where he would work on different product teams every three months, landing in the industrial team. He also got involved with NAIOP, meeting folks from different firms and in other asset types.
“I started developing relationships with those people, and then got involved with events and volunteering,” Koziol continues. “After being involved with Developing Leaders, I applied to the Young Professionals Group in 2023, which was instrumental to my growth.”
Admittance to the Young Professionals Group is selective, with about 30 Developing Leaders accepted for each class. Koziol explains that everyone is broken up into teams of four or five and given a real-life scenario.
“You’re in charge of a piece of land, and I was partnered with another broker, an architect and a construction guy. We had a mentor too who is part of a developer group,” he continues. “We had to put together what we would develop on that land, what our cost analysis would be, put together a pro forma and pitch it to a group of ‘investors.’ Our group ended up winning the case competition.”
Koziol still connects with his teammates on that project, which he says is a huge benefit for the programs.
“Once you’re in this business, it feels like you’re drinking out of a fire hose, but it really helps meeting with people who are dealing with similar situations and trying to get their start in the industry,” he concludes. “30 years down the road, this group will be the folks I’ll be able to call on to talk about a project or give business to.”
Erika Eckblad, senior associate, Cushman & Wakefield
A native of Michigan, Eckblad moved to Phoenix in 2017, eventually landing at Cushman & Wakefield on its healthcare team. Prior to her current position, Eckblad worked in property management and the skills she learned there have been an asset to her as a broker. Since Eckblad moved to the Valley as an adult, she says that being a part of NAIOP is a great way to meet people, especially through the Developing Leaders program.
“I wanted to meet individuals close to my age that want to be successful and are focused on making that happen,” she says. “That’s why I got involved. It’s a great way to open your mind to the different groups within the industry and bridge the gap on a lot of different jobs.”
Today, she’s the co-chair of the educational committee, which hosts site tours of new developments around the Valley and sets up panels with luminaries in the industry to hear their insights.
“Right now, we’re planning a panel on how to be successful during a downturn,” Eckblad says. “A lot of people my age didn’t feel the full force of the last downturn, because it was in 2008 and I was still in high school, but others in our industry remember that time and can provide tips on how to thrive in that environment.”
The last tour the committee arranged was for the Ceasers Republic Hotel in Scottsdale, where attendees heard about the challenges of getting that project finished. Seeing properties outside your specialty, Eckblad says, is beneficial because it broadens a broker’s knowledge of the Valley.
The value of participation in NAIOP is well worth the time commitment, which Eckblad says is reasonable.
“In this industry, you spend a lot of time focused on your job, and the extra few hours spent growing and learning is priceless,” she concludes. “I’m happy to do it and really enjoy it. It can be scary to get involved, but I always push people to join committees even if they don’t think they know what they’re doing. There are lots of people who are willing to help. Don’t be intimidated by it.”
Kean Thomas, director of finance, Vestar
For Thomas, NAIOP membership runs in the family. His mother, an architect in the Valley, has been involved in the association throughout her career, meaning Thomas attended Night at the Fights long before he attended Arizona State University for finance and accounting. After graduation, Thomas moved to California, where he worked in public accounting and earned his CPA license before taking a job with a large developer in Orange County on its finance team.
“From there, I transitioned back to Phoenix and found my way over to Vestar three years ago as [its] director of finance, working on all new financing and refinancing,” he explains. “I also perform our development underwriting, oversee a portion of the accounting team and do some work for developments on a project management basis.”
Since settling back in Phoenix, Thomas has reconnected to his NAIOP roots, first by joining the association’s retail committee, which he says is unique.
“Retail professional organizations often wind up focusing on serving tenants, whereas NAIOP at its heart is a developer’s organization,” Thomas explains. “It focuses on the landlord
and tenant representation brokers for sure, but it’s really about
the general contractors, vendors and developers who operate in the Valley.”
After joining the retail committee, Thomas had a desire to become more involved with NAIOP and applied for the Developing Leaders program. While accepted, he hasn’t officially started, yet he already sees the value in being a part of the initiative.
“The biggest thing is meeting peers,” he says. “They are working their way up in the industry, and the reality is that the people who get [involved in Developing Leaders] usually stick around for a long time. It’s great to meet people who are like me — relatively early on in their career, and that’s great because you can really build a long-term relationship with someone in similar position.”
Because Thomas’ duties require him to engage in other parts of the business, such as property management, acquisitions, development and construction, being in a program with other early-career professionals allows him to pick up valuable insights.
“I’d like to get to know the different general contractors in town,” he concludes. “Who are the different vendors out there? What are people seeing in terms of construction costs? Where are the opportunities in technology implementation on projects? Those are the types of things you wouldn’t normally get exposed to if you’re in an organization that’s just focused on finance.”
Brady Maus, vice president, Trammell Crow Company
When Maus moved from Phoenix to Texas for college, he thought the Valley was firmly in his rearview. But after working for a retail brokerage and development company in Dallas for four years, he found himself missing the Grand Canyon State.
“I realized that Phoenix is home — it’s where my family is, and where I wanted to raise a family,” he says.
After moving back to the Valley, he eventually found his way to his current position at Trammell Crow Company and decided to join NAIOP and its Developing Leaders program.
“At first, I didn’t understand that NAIOP covers more than office and industrial. Why would I join NAIOP? I’m a self-storage guy,” he recalls. “In retrospect, I wish I would have joined earlier because it would’ve helped my career as I came back to Phoenix.”
Maus says there are multiple benefits to his membership in NAIOP. Through his participation, he has created a network of peers in both casual and formal environments.
“When you’re in your 20s, it’s important to start developing those relationships, even with your competitors,” Maus continues. “All of us are the future leaders of the market and we’re growing up in the industry together. It’s really important to have that conduit for connection through Developing Leaders.”
Beyond connecting with other up-and-comers, Maus notes that he gets exposure to different product types and other aspects he wouldn’t otherwise have, which he believes is necessary to be successful.
“It’s good to understand what brokers in other asset classes are seeing to pain the picture of the entire real estate market,” Maus continues. “While everything seems siloed, at the end of the day, all of it is connected to some degree.”
NAIOP has also given Maus the opportunity to branch out and support the next generation. He and a colleague helped teach a unit on real estate to students at GateWay Early College High School.
“Collectively, NAIOP members taught a two-semester course on real estate and the built environment to high school students,” Maus concludes. “I put together a two-hour presentation where we taught them what it means to be a developer. There was a case study involved where students presented an idea to us based on information we gave them. It was cool because these students probably didn’t know that this a career opportunity for them, and NAIOP was able to give them that exposure.”